FRANCE More resorts were scheduled to open this weekend, including La Plagne, Mégève and Flaine. Fresh snow fell early last week across the French Alps, so is in good condition at most resorts. The Espace Killy looks especially good, with half the runs in Val d'Isère and Tignes now open.

AUSTRIA It's been dumping in Austria, with some resorts reporting around 30cm of fresh snow on Wednesday, including the Arlberg resorts of St Anton, Zürs and Lech, which now have 32 lifts open. Sölden received around 25cm, but bad weather caused the glacier runs to close; they are due to re-open this weekend. Further snowfalls are expected, especially in the Arlberg and Zillertal region.

SWITZERLAND The best skiing is in Zermatt, which has 37 of its 55 lifts running. Davos is enjoying good conditions too, after a 20cm dump last Wednesday and has 20 lifts running. Temperatures will remain cold and most snow should fall in the western areas, including St Moritz and Davos.

ITALY The skiing in Passo Tonale is fantastic, thanks to a superb base of 310cm on the Presena glacier. Most of the Selva Gardena ski area is now open, with 53 lifts running, making it the biggest ski area in Italy at the moment, and the conditions are excellent. A cold snap is expected this week – at Livigno you can expect around -19°C at the top.

USA Colorado, Durango and Crested Butte received between 70-80cm last week, as did Tahoe, so the skiing is fantastic. Jackson Hole is expecting up to 50cm by Tuesday.

CANADA Temperatures dropped to -40°C at many resorts last week, including Revelstoke and Kimberley. The cold is forecast to continue, with most snow falling at Kicking Horse and Revelstoke.